Social media is changing the way people engage, communicate, bond, connect and network with each other on a global scale. Much like other pivotal shifts in history, such as the Industrial Revolution, there is no turning back from these profound technological developments.  However, not everyone has the knowledge to use these communication tools effectively, namely non-profits and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) primarily in developing countries.

The plight of the non-profit has never been easy – the majority have always been faced with unstable funding sources which dictate how many services they can offer and to whom.  As social media evolves and becomes more accessible to the masses, the competition between NGO’s also increases as they struggle to keep up with the fast-paced, ever-changing media landscape in order to gain and maintain secure funding.

The problem is that so many innovative programs are being run by NGO’s that don’t have the resources to tell their story effectively or reach the audiences they need to in order to receive recognition, support and funding.

I’ve spent the last eight years creating media for organizations that work to advance women and girls.  I’ve worked for larger organizations like UN Women and CARE and some smaller like OneHeart, and for the most part they all needed help defining their story; from refining their message to finding the most effective avenues to distribute their media.  For these reasons I am leading Social Documentary Workshops as part of a current project of mine, Stirring the Fire.  These workshops are intended to help advance gender equality by enabling women’s organizations to tell their story effectively and give them online strategies to get that story in front of their target audiences.

Our upcoming workshop in San Diego is sold out, but if you are a journalist, photographer, filmmaker, graphic designer, social media/communications student or professional, you can fill our this application to apply and be added to our mailing list for upcoming workshops (hint: the next destination might be near or around Nepal).

Our vision is to see this model not only scale but evolve, giving media students and professionals who would like to do social documentary work real world experience, and at the same time providing selected NGO’s with an affordable solution to effectively tell and get their story heard.